And All Is Right With the World Again!

Nick is home, safe and sound!

I picked him up from the airport around 7pm last night. It was sooooo great to see his face coming toward me through the gate! Although, I was a little taken aback when I realized that there was another woman with her arm through his, walking toward me... then, I noticed that she was blind and he was helping her through the airport. Instantly, my heart melted, of course. Could the man BE any sweeter??

Anyway... our reunion was nice. We made it out of the airport in record time and headed home to the kids and the dog. All three of them were thrilled to see Daddy again!!

The kids were especially excited that he brought "souvenirs" for them from his trip to the Omaha Zoo. Damon got a DVD of the IMAX shark movie that they were playing at the zoo... he's obsessed with sharks here lately! And Avery, fittingly enough, got a stuffed monkey (I'm so clever that I named him Omaha, even though Avery really wanted to call him Monkey... it's so cute to hear her say his name!).

I got the Werner hoodie that I requested in size HUGE... and Nick even got one for my friend Trish (we match, lol!), because she was soooo sweet to watch the kids for us last night (not to mention the fact that she did all of my laundry for me, too... Trish is the best babysitter, and FRIEND, on the planet... just for the record!).

So, I'm not a morning person, in general, but I can't even describe the elated feeling I had when the alarm went off this morning, and I looked over to see my hubby in the bed next to me again! It's so great to have him back, where he belongs!!

One More Day!

This time tomorrow, I'll have my hubby back! :)

The past two weeks have felt like a year... the kids are starting to act out, they aren't sleeping well, and Mommy has negative amounts of patience left!!

I warned Nick a few nights ago that when he gets home, I'm going to turn myself invisible for a few days. He's had plenty of "freedom" and time for relaxation in the past two weeks... hope he enjoyed it, because for the next two DAYS, the kids are ALL his! lol.

We are lucky, lucky people...

to have the Ocean in our big backyard!

Last week, my old college buddy Ellen surprised me by showing up on my doorstep unannounced for a visit. I heard a knock on the door and thought it was a delivery person of some sort, and opened the door to find Ellie and a dish full of brownies instead! It was so great to see her... I think it's been about 2 years since the last time we saw each other.

Since Nick has been out of town, it was great to have some company (adult conversation, yay!)... and since the kids and I have been sick, it was also nice to have an extra "hand" around here for a day or two (thanks, Ellie--Damon says you make a mean jelly sandwich, lol).

Since Ellen was here, I felt compelled to take her to visit the Ocean. It's crazy that I don't do this more often. It really is in my backyard, and tourists pay so much money each year to come vacation here... all I have to do is drive a few miles, and voila! Paradise!! Yet, I can rarely be bothered to venture to the beach.

Anyway, Ellen, Avery, and I spent the afternoon walking on the beach, digging for seashells, and enjoying the gorgeous day on the water.

Here are a few pics that Ellie emailed to me today (I actually took some pics that day, too, and even got some of ELLEN, lol, but my camera batteries are dead, so they'll have to wait). I have so few pics of me and my kids, because I'm usually the one BEHIND the camera... so I really loved these shots that she got of me and Avery.

And the Most Enthusiastic Player Award goes to...

my son... Damon.

He started T-ball today... his first time participating in an "organized sport."

It was, hands down, one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my years as his mother. The child has always been pretty entertaining, but if you could've just seen him out on that field this morning!

First, they started out by pairing up the kids and letting them roll the ball to each other and catching it in their gloves. That was a piece of cake, even for the little guys, so then they moved to actually THROWING the balls to each other. Well, Damon was paired up with one of the dads because they had an odd number of kids. Let me tell ya, my boy has an arm on him! lol. He's got that throwing thing figured out! :)

Next, they actually "played" a little... each kid took his turn in each position in the field and at bat. Damon was first up to bat... and he was actually pretty good!! After he practiced hitting several times, they told him to run all four bases... so, like the champ he is, he TOOK OFF.... for third base instead of first. It was so cute and funny and sad... all at the same time.

When he finally figured out he was running the wrong way, he turned himself around and headed for first, etc.... and the poor kid gave it his ALL. You would've thought he was in the World Series tagging all of those bases. He was huffin' and puffin' by the time he got to Home plate, lol.

One of the other mothers on the sidelines with me was laughing so hard at Damon. He was so "into it" the whole time. When they were practicing throwing, he had the whole "pitcher's stance" thing going on, and was like peeking behind him like they do in a "real game," you know? He also tried playing all over the field... no matter which position he was SUPPOSED to be in, he went after each and every ball that was hit. And decided to throw in some "sliding" for added effect, too. We decided he's the Drama King of this team, for sure!

I'm kicking myself because I didn't have my digital camera with me to take some photos. Next week, I'll definitely have the camera and maybe even the video camera. Then I can share some of his T-ball funnies with his fans.

Daddy will be home next week, too... and he's such a lucky dad and loves his wife so much... because I volunteered him, not only to coach Damon's team, but to be the HEAD coach (I swear, I didn't know that at the time, but it's kinda funny, huh?). The Pirates have their first "game" next Saturday at 10am... so stay tuned!!

Happy Birthday Hailey!

Nick's sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl last night at 12:34am.

Hailey Catherine weighed in at an itty bitty 5 pounds, 13 ounces!

Here's the first pic that the world has seen of Mother and Baby:


Welcome to the world, baby Hailey!! We love you and can't wait to meet you!
Congrats to Missy and Donny, the proud parents... you guys did a fabulous job!!!!

XXOO.

Good news (for a change)!!

I'm so excited, I just had to make TWO blog posts in one day!!!

I just got the call that Nick's sister is at the hospital getting ready to have her very first baby girl!

I've called every family member I can think of so that we can all shriek together... and now we're all just sitting around WAITING to hear that baby Hailey is here safe and sound!

Uncle Nick might even be able to go visit them this weekend... he's several hours closer to Missy and Donny right now, since he's out West for his training. So, he just might jet over there on Sunday if he has the day off to see his new niece! I'm soooooo jealous! Hopefully he'll think to take pics for me, though!!!

Good luck, Missy... I'm here thinking of you every second (and am sooooooo glad it's you and not me this time, kiddo! lololol)!!!! Can't wait to see Miss Hailey!

One More Week...

And at this point, I'm wondering how I'll survive it... I know it sounds a wee bit dramatic, but honestly, the past week has been so stressful.

Not much has changed since I last posted... the kids and I are still coughing and sneezing and feeling rotten. I'm fairly certain that if I could get to a doctor, they'd diagnose me with bronchitis right now... but that's not really an option.

Any OTC meds that I try to take just knock me out... and since I'm on my own with two kids, I can't afford to be drowsy and in La La Land, even at night!

I have decided that Children's Nyquil is the best invention EVER. Avery's antibiotic was making her very restless earlier in the week, and we were going rounds each night at bedtime. So, I started giving her a small dose of Children's Nyquil at bedtime, and it's been a miracle! The past two nights, she's hardly fussed at bedtime, and she's slept straight through the night, for 12-13 hours! Gotta love that.

Damon starts T-ball tomorrow morning, at 9am (ugh!). He's excited about playing his first organized sport, though, so we'll be there... coughing and all. Nick found out today that, not only did I sign him up for coaching (against his will), he's also the HEAD coach of the Pirates, lol. Sorry, hon, I really didn't have a clue what I was getting you into!! But, I'm sure Damon will love it, so it's all worth it, right??

Okay, I'm going to sign off for now and see if, by some miracle, I can convince my children to lie down and nap with me this afternoon (ha!). I'm really running on empty right now... sigh.

Day 3: Sick, sick, and more sick, UGH!

Nick has been gone for three full days now, and all I can say is:

wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Not only do we all miss him like crazy, but we're all still SICK.

The kids have been taking antibiotics and OTC cold meds forever, it seems, but none of it is really doing much good. I bought some OTC meds for myself yesterday, and of course had the opposite reaction to "daytime" formula, and could hardly hold my eyes open all afternoon. THIS is why I don't take cold meds... but I'm just feeling so miserable, I thought I'd give it a try. So much for that. *sigh*

Damon did return to school Monday, and his teacher keeps assuring me that he's doing fine there all day... but I have to wonder since he sounds like he's coughing up a lung every morning. I feel terrible sending him to school like that. But, what's a mom to do??

I've spent a lot of time this week talking to Nick on our speaker cell phones when he's back at his hotel each evening. Not quite the same as having him HERE, in the flesh, but at least we can spend some "time" together each night while he's gone, and the kids get to chat with him, too.

It sounds like they're keeping him very busy while he's out there... he's been hard at work studying each night and taking quizzes each day. Poor thing... he can't remember the last time he had to use his brain to this capacity, lol.

So, 3 days down, 9 more to go. (why does that sound like eternity??)

Work Widow: Day One

I really thought I'd enjoy Nick's "business trip." I loved it when he worked nights before and I could stay up all hours, guilt-free, doing what I like to do after the kids were in bed asleep.

But, my husband hasn't been gone for 24 hours yet, and I'm ready for him to come home already!!

I think it's just KNOWING that he's sooooooooooo far away that breaks my heart. When we dropped him off at the airport yesterday, both kids got hysterical when Daddy said goodbye. I didn't expect that... didn't think they'd even understand that he'd be gone for 2 weeks. But, apparently they're more intuitive than I give them credit for. It was a very sad scene and left me with a heavy heart on the 2-hour drive home... sans hubby/Daddy.

On a happier note, Nick did arrive safely... he survived two flights, although he didn't "enjoy" them... at all, lol. I know he was relieved to be on the ground, driving a CAR again when he got there!

I think it's going to be a LOOOOONG two weeks. And I'm really hoping that my friends will keep me busy (hint, hint, friends! lol) while he's gone so that I don't just sit around missing him the whole time. Eleven more days (ugh!) and counting... until we can retrieve him from the airport again. I'm already smiling just picturing our reunion!

Winds of Change...

I was trying to figure out WHAT to blog about this morning, and then realized there are so many new, exciting things going on with me and my loved ones here lately that I couldn't choose which to talk about... so I'm going to make a general post and try to touch on all of them!!

* Nick's new job is one of the biggies here in our house, obviously. He finished his first week of on-site training yesterday. Tomorrow he's leaving us and flying to Nebraska for 2 weeks of training out there. This is new and exciting because Nick has never FLOWN before, so he's a tad bit nervous (and that's putting it lightly!)... he's also never had a job that required him to travel... you know, a "big boy job??" It's very strange that they're flying him out, putting him up in a hotel for 2 weeks, and giving him a rental car and money for food, etc. I don't think he quite knows WHAT to think of all this... so it's an exciting time for him/us!

* My brother-in-law's wedding is rapidly approaching, too! October 7th is the big day. My bridesmaid dress was shipped to me a few days ago... just waiting on my mom to hem it for me, and we'll be good to go! Poor Amber is a nervous wreck these days, it seems, with her wedding getting so close and so many details to "wrap up." Hey, I TOLD them to elope, back when they first got engaged... I promise, I TOLD them, lol. Noone ever listens until it's too late!

* Also, aside from the wedding, which is exciting enough, AJ is getting ready to graduate from aeronautics school, and I'm told he's busy interviewing with potential employers these days. So, when they return from their honeymoon, they'll be house-hunting and moving SOMEWHERE to begin their new life together... super exciting stuff!!

* Nick's sister is anxiously awaiting the birth of her first baby!! Baby Hailey is due ANY DAY now... and we've threatened Missy that we better be near the top of that "call list" when she goes into labor!! We recently installed a Webcam on our desktop upstairs and made sure that Missy has one, too... AJ jumped on the bandwagon with us... so, since we are all scattered ALL OVER the country (actually, the WORLD!), hopefully that will help us watch Baby Hailey grow up! Gotta love modern technology.

* Nick's dad will be coming home from CHINA soon... he's coming in at the end of this month so that he'll be here for AJ's graduation and wedding (and he's squeezing in more work in the States, too). We're all anxious to see "Papaw" again and hear more details about his new life half a World away!

* On a not-so-happy note, I've determined that school is an evil place. An evil breeding ground for germs that ALWAYS find their way to my house, somehow. Damon was home sick two days last week... and I felt so guilty keeping him home, even though I knew he didn't feel well. The school system has this way of making you feel like a terrible parent for keeping your sick child home (even though they also claim they don't want sick children at school... so I still haven't figure out WHAT they want from me, as a parent). But, last night, I felt validated for my decision when I had to take Damon to the ER. He took a nap on the couch yesterday evening and woke up SCREAMING in pain, saying his ear hurt. BINGO! I took him straight to the ER and found out that he has an upper respiratory infection AND two infected ears. No wonder he wasn't feeling well. We got him home and doped up on Amoxicillin, just in time for Avery to wake up in the middle of the night, screaming about HER ears. I told the nurses at the ER last night that I'd probably be back today with Damon's little sister... and I think they thought I was joking. *sigh*

Well, I think that just about covers it. A new job, a new baby, a wedding, a reunion with Papaw, and evil germs... Never a dull moment, huh?

Could they BE any cuter??

A New Job!!!!

No, not for me... the big job search that I embarked on about a month ago was downright pathetic. I was called on ONE interview and didn't get a call back for that one, wahhhhh.

BUT, enough bad news... the good news is that my husband landed an awesome job!!

For the first time in his life, Nick:

• Received a formal job offer from someone in an HR Department
• Is being flown across the country, put up in a hotel, and given a rental car for 11 days of job training
• Will receive a GREAT salary (Yes, salary. He'll actually make the same amount of money each week, so we can BUDGET for the first time in our lives... how exciting is that?!?!)
• Will receive great benefits (health, dental, vision, 401K, SPP, the whole nine yards!)
• Will have to wear "business casual" to work every day (okay, so he did that once before, when he sold cars... but still, it's exciting... no more grease and grime and holey t-shirts, YAY!)
• Has a desk job... like, he sits at a computer all day; no more physical labor

Anyway, it's been an exciting week. Nick had a round of interviews with this company and we sat around very nervously for several days, just HOPING that something good would happen. And, it did.

So, I'm really not devastated that I haven't found a fabulous job yet. I'm starting to think it's just not "meant to be" for me right now... I've battled with going back to work versus staying home with Avery for a couple more years, and now I feel like the decision has been made for me, in a way. I'm still going to keep my eyes and ears open for any opportunities, but I'm not too stressed about HAVING to find a job right now. I'm thrilled that Nick found the job that he did, and that I CAN stay home longer. And, I've still got my editing work (yippeee! yes, that is definitely sarcasm).

Terrible Twos... an understatement!

Right now, I feel as if Avery is sooooooooooo difficult. Only, I'm not so sure it's HER, but her age.

And I know everyone talks about "the terrible twos" (and three is even worse, God help me!), and this is nothing new... but I'm realizing why it's such an awkward age: there are SO many different issues at work here at the SAME TIME---sleep issues, sippy cup issues, potty-training issues, etc.---and they're all related.

For instance (and bear with me... you might get a headache just reading this!), bedtime is a huge battle with Avery right now. She sleeps in a toddler bed, so she's no longer confined to a crib. We used to "tuck her in" a million times in one night because she just wouldn't STAY PUT in her bed. So, I took some advice from my Mom friends and put a baby gate across her doorway at bedtime. Worked like a charm.

BUT, wait.

Now, I'm trying to potty train her. So, I can't leave the gate up all night... because what if she needs to wake up and go potty at 3am? Therefore, the gate comes down once she's fallen asleep. And because of THAT, when she wakes up every night at 3am (not necessarily because she has to potty, but just because!), she leaves her room and crawls into Mommy and Daddy's bed. Another issue.

Also, because she's potty training, we're trying to take her beloved nighttime sippy cup full o' juice away from her... because common sense tells us that a full sippy cup at bedtime will lead to wet underpants at some point in the middle of the night (when diapers were "okay," this wasn't a concern).

So, the baby gate is up, which upsets her enough. Now, we're taking away the sippy cup... another upsetting thing. And she's still able to leave her bed at 3am because of that potty issue, too. Oh, and just because we take the juice away, take the diapers away, and give her free reign of the house at night does NOT guarantee that this potty thing is going to work... so we have wet pants to change, too.

See what I mean??? It's a very tangled web... one that leaves me extremely tired every second of every day (yet I'm here, blogging about it at 1am, instead of sleeping!).

Here's the good news... or at least this is the thought that's going to keep me going for yet another day... I have seen one child through this stage already. He survived, and so did I. Therefore, I know that it can be done. And one day, I know I'll look back on this and smile, and wish I had that little chubby two year old who fought bedtime and peed in her pants back again.

Isn't life strange??

On that note... Sweet Dreams, Avery. I'll see you in a couple of hours for our 3am meeting... you bring the sippy cup and I'll bring the juice.

The First Day of School...

was a booming success, apparently!!

We put Damon on the bus at 8:30am and met him on the porch upon his return at 3:50pm.

He left smiling and came home in the same condition, I'm happy to report! Although, he did look extremely tired as he came trodding down the driveway this afternoon, lol. It was a big day for the little guy!

Some of the highlights:

• Pizza and milk for the lunch in the cafeteria
• Playing "Sink the Ship" in gym class (he was super excited because HIS team "didn't lose!"
• The tag necklace that Mrs. Davis made for him; on the back she'd written a note congratulating him on having such a fabulous "first day of K!"
• HOMEWORK! He was so thrilled to tell me as soon as he got off the bus that we had homework to do (oh, how that'll change in coming years, huh?? lol).
• The stop light visual in his classroom, with garbage ties ("but they're not dirty!") that somehow display the students' names and track their behavior/participation in class.
• Indoor recess today, because of the rain... but he had fun playing with the "pretend schoolbus" while some other kids in his class were making a HUGE mess with the blocks!

And that's about all that I could get out of him... or at least that's all I could make sense of, anyway! :)

Bedtime was NOT an issue tonight... the poor kid was ready to drop when he got home this afternoon, so a few hours later, we heard NO complaints when we told him it was bedtime! This is officially Mommy's favorite thing about school!

Here are a few of the boatloads of pics that I snapped while we were waiting for the bus this morning:

My Big Boy, the Kindergartener

Damon's first day of school is tomorrow!
His first FULL day of school... in Mrs. Davis's Kindergarten class.

This means a lot of changes for our whole household. Gone are the days of sleeping in 'til 9 or 10am (our alarm clocks will be ringing around 6:30am tomorrow)... gone are the days of going to bed late (our school year bedtime is 8pm sharp! even if that sun is still shining!)... gone are the days when Avery has a playmate all day (for the first time ever, she'll be on "only child" from 8:30am 'til whenever that schoolbus brings her brother home; we still aren't quite sure WHEN that is!)... gone are the days that I have to get two kids dressed, out of the house, and in the car to run simple errands.

On one hand, I'm looking forward to being a mother of one for 8 hours a day (it really IS so much simpler, and I vaguely remember those days pre-Avery!). On the other hand, I'm going to feel lost without my man, Damon.

Last night, before the kids went to bed, I asked Damon to come sit with me on the couch and give his old mom big hugs. I held onto him for as long as he'd let me (which was around 2 minutes!), and I just marveled at the fact that this huge kid that doesn't even FIT in my lap is my baby boy. I don't know how it happens, but they grow and change so quickly. It's cliche, I know, but it's so true.

I just wanted to take a moment to say that I'm so proud of Damon. He really is an extremely bright kid with so much spunk and personality... and I'm thankful every day that he's here with me. I had no clue 6 years ago when I was big and pregnant with him just how much that little "piglet" would change my life in every way.

So, here's to you, Kid. Wishing you the best of luck and tons of love on your first day of Kindergarten!!!!

(This pic was taken last week at his orientation in his new classroom! He was busy making a picture collage for his new cubby.)